Top soil cost – 15 yrds per tandem, 300ea plus 100 delivery = 800 total cost
30 per yrd installation fee = 900
Top soil= 1700
$4820 total material cost
Add in $200 for plant delivery
Equipment - Using dingo with 30” auger and tractor to move dirt= ($200
Labor – 3 men at 20 hours each, 2 days, 16 work hours ea. Total of = 60 hours labor ($750)
Fuel- $50
Total job cost= $6020
I know I’m not considering all cost factors but it’s a quick fairly accurate breakdown. On first glance I figured $12k, and that probably where I would bid it, but we are very familiar with these type jobs and they don’t take use long. For instance, we just did one last week that was (35) 8’ Nellys and (20) 14’ Pines, spent $3600 on plants delivered, job took 3 men less than 2 days, had 90% of the holes dug and plants placed in holes on day one, priced the job at $11k. For this job I would consider over 15K high in our area. Best of luck I hope you land it.

You might try independent growers and tree farms. Most are blowing out inventory. Your man hours sound a little high as well as your man hour rate. I would imagine commercial man hour rates would be lower. I don't know what your market will bare.
It sounds like a 2-3 day job with 10hr days with 3-4 guys.Posted via Mobile Device

Juststartin has it on all counts, I've been paying $60 for any tree I want, sales are slow down here and people take what they can get. Inventory on some varieties are starting to thin at this particular farm. A lot of farms are closing. A nearby company that has to purchase plants (they don't grow), prices their trees out at $90 ea installed, they get by with the smallest plants possible, trees may be 2' and 10 ft. Regardless these prices are tuff to compete with, these are commercial installs.

I came up with about $16,500. But the wholesale prices in NY are way higher then the southern wholesale states. A red sunset here wholesale for the 2.5-3 " cal is $195.00 per tree. Spirea's and boxwoods go for about $22-$25.00. PJM rhody's are about 49.00. So the price will be higher then the south. A yard of soil here installed your looking at $65.00 to 85.00 to buy and install. So all parts of the United States will be different. I buy mine from a wholesale nursery called northern nurseries. They have higher prices, but quality is perfect. You take the shrub out of the container and it stays together, doesn't fall apart. The trees all have numerous white roots and root hairs. I like to give my customer the best quality possible, and I also explain that to them. Proper mulching, proper watering etc all makes a different in selling. Some will want a cheap install and instant look , others will want long term, quality, and added value to there property for real estate reason. So for a $5000.00 project here, with that many shrubs and trees, your getting what you pay for and its not much.